There are several
challenges facing the Zarathushti community today. First, there is
ample evidence to show that the original community is growing smaller
decade by decade according to the census in India. While there are no
official census figures for the Zarathushti dispersion abroad, the
unofficial figures do not show any sizable increase in the community in
the Americas, Europe or in Australia/New Zealand. If we are not to be
relegated to the history books, we need to find a quick solution to this
problem.

The steps taken by
the Bombay Parsi Punchayet such as contributing to the maintenance of a
third child in a family, medical advice to those who have trouble
conceiving children, offering low cost housing to newly married couples
will hopefully produce some results in the long run. But the problem is
more immediate and urgent. If one scans the monthly statistics we see
that the number of deaths are three to four times the number of births.
This is a result of the senior population being roughly three times as
much as school going children. Our families are smaller very often with
only one child to replace the two parents. Also the number of unmarried
people is larger than the average for other communities. Those who get
married do so rather late in life which also tends to smaller families.

The younger
generation needs to realize that the prime age for starting a family is
between 22 and 26 and not 32 as is the case at present. One cannot wait
for complete self-sufficiency to get married. Actually the struggle to
make ends meet in the early years would make the family ties closer and
teach the children the need for frugality and sharing of
responsibility. Since the Zarathushti population is very small and
scattered, many of our children do not have the opportunity to meet
suitable partners. The Youth congresses are a good starting point for
such contacts. However there is a tendency by many to look at these as
a ‘marriage market’ and turn up their noses at the concept. Such an
attitude should be discouraged. If one has the opportunity to meet many
young persons of the opposite sex, one is likely to make a good choice
of wife or husband when the time comes.

Because of the small
gene pool of the community, it is inevitable that some of the community
will marry non-Zarathushtis. At present the evidence is that 30% of
youngsters marry outside the community. Unless we freely accept their
children as part of our community, we will lose one-third of the
population every generation (about 20-25 years). We need the children
of mixed marriages to be instructed in Zarathushti values. There is
nothing in the religion which opposes that. Also there are many
non-Zarathushti spouses who would like their children to be brought up
in the Zarathsuhti Deen (religion) given a chance. While there are many
examples of such persons, one of the most recent was the two daughters
of a Zarathushti mother and a Sikh father who voluntarily chose to have
their Navjote done in Chicago at the age of 21 and 18. They and their
parents feel very happy about it.

There is also the
question of people who would like to follow the Zarathushti religion
even though they were not born in a Zarathushti family. If they
sincerely wish to do so, it would seem that they would make as good if
not better Zarathushtis because they want to, than those who had it
handed to them by reason of birth. Since the eventual aim of the Deen
is Frasho-Kereti, which means refreshing the world by banishing evil,
the way to achieve it would be for most people to accept the good
religion. It therefore behooves us to accept converts, especially those
who choose to do so voluntarily. Recently many Russians, Swedes, South
Americans have opted to officially follow the Zarathushti Deen. This
shows their appreciation of our religion and keenness to be part of the
community. We have to feel proud that so many non-Zarathushtis
appreciate the religion we follow.

There are other
challenges besides the reduction in numbers. So many youngsters whose
Navjote has been performed without generating sufficient interest in the
religion who tend to become estranged thinking they can lead a good life
without following any religion. The parents need to be educated in
their own religion – particularly the philosophy and not just the mere
rattling off of the kusti prayers. Where possible it should be
illustrated by stories from the Shah Nameh, the lives of great men and
by daily example. Many youngsters feel stifled because of their parents
total dominance about prayers and rituals during their childhood,
instead of encouraging them to think and ponder some of the issues on
their own.

The need for co-operation and unity, while
not much felt at local association level, becomes evident when we talk
about a unified World Body. The negotiations have been going on for
more than 10 years and we are not much closer to forming one. It has
been said that when five Zarathushtis get together you have six
opinions. Each one thinks he is the only one whose opinion counts, one
of them doubly so. Abraham Lincoln used to say: I will concede nine
points to my opponents if the tenth is the most important. We need to
cultivate that attitude.

One more problem is
the effacing of the Zarathushti identity which is shown by their names.
The Parsi and Irani names are so distinctive that they would stand out
in the telephone book or in a list of school children or employees.
Nowadays more and more I see the tendency to Anglicize or Americanize
their names like Phiroze becomes Phil, Silloo becomes Selina, Jamshed is
changed to Jim and Rukhshana to Roxane. We should be proud of our
Persian tradition and the names that come from those traditions and our
mythology so that we can stand up and be counted. Not only are our
names getting changed but some of us have lost the affability which the
old world Zarathushtis used to show one another. We may have picked up
the formality of the West and put a distance between our community
members. If such barriers are raised in some circles, they need to be
knocked down.

Right now we are so
few in number that very few people of the world know of our existence.
If you say you are a Zarathushti, you are usually asked what that
means. Some even think it is a branch of Islam. I notice a resurgence
of interest in the religion in America, Canada, Europe, Australia, New
Zealand as also in India and Pakistan among the younger generation. Let
us hope our younger generation will address these problems and
challenges with increased vigor so that the Zarathushtis will once again
be known all over the world as ‘the Noble Ones’.